


The tattoo artist and the art student

by xNovilunium



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Characters, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 06:00:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17441261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xNovilunium/pseuds/xNovilunium
Summary: Jude is a shy student majoring in Arts with a passion for mythology. His life can be resumed by commute, work and sleep seven days a week. He’s trapped in a routine between University, his parents putting a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and his struggles to finally feel comfortable with who he is. But the day he bumps into a stranger on his way back home, he is light years away from knowing all the changes this man is about to bring into his life.





	The tattoo artist and the art student

**Author's Note:**

> Old thing with my very first ocs I decided to rewrite. Updates will be slow though, since I'm working on a fantasy novel

Among the last rows of seat, Jude wasn’t paying attention to the teacher. Medieval art classes weren’t his favourite, and the fact that this teacher had a monotonous voice wasn’t helping him focus. Instead, Jude was drawing random things on his piece of paper. Characters from video games, flowers, faces of people he had seen on the campus this morning, and his kitten. A little ball of grey fur he had gotten from a neighbour because they couldn’t keep all of them. Of course, Jude had said ‘yes’ when the little girl and her mother had knocked on the door asking him if he would be willing to take care of a kitten. He had said “yes” not only because that little girl with her imploring green eyes had convinced him, but because Jude loved cats and was feeling a bit lonely in his apartment. 

Adopting him was one of the best decisions he had taken so far. He didn’t regret his choice, not even when Loki would wake him up in the middle of the night by trying to chew his hair, or, in a less elegant way, fart in his face. He reminded him of their family cat – an old grey tabby cat who loved to push things off tables – and wondered how he was doing. How his parents were doing. 

Jude shook his head at the thought of them and turned the piece of paper round, ready to begin another portrait. His eyes roamed over the flood of people sitting in front of him. Most of his classmates were listening to the teacher’s every word, taking as much notes as they could. He spotted two students, sat much closer to him, sleeping with their head on their bag. Other were playing on their phone or browsing social networks on their laptop – Mr. Pereira didn’t mind them using laptops during his classes, unlike to most of his colleagues – and some were chatting as if they were at a coffee shop. This, though, didn’t go unnoticed, and Mr. Pereira called them to order. 

He looked to his left and his best friend smiled at him. A bright and beautiful smile. There, she would be his model for the remaining hour. 

Alice Harper and he had met four years ago on their first day of high school, along other friends, but none of them had paid the slightest attention to the other on that day. It had only been two days after, when Jude couldn’t find the classroom of his biology lesson and when he’d remembered Alice was his classmate thanks to her bright ginger hair, that he talked to her, asking her if she knew where it was. They had gotten paired together during the lesson and since then, had spent their whole school years together. He knew as much of her than she did of him. He could share everything with her, tell her every little thing; from his worries to that habit of hers he couldn’t stand anymore. 

Smiling back at her, he started her portrait. She had tied her hair in a bun today, leaving only two thin braids falling on her shoulders, and had opted for wearing her glasses instead of contacts. He drew her from the side, added her dimple at the corner of her mouth as well as her medusa piercing and was about to draw her scarf when a folded piece of paper landed on his table. 

_“You + me shopping later? I’ll pay the tea ♥”_

Jude smiled. How could he tell her ‘no’ when she was luring him with tea? It was one of his weak spots, but with Alice no matter the situation he always was ready to do things with her, even though she wouldn’t have talked about tea. The project he had to work on for the upcoming month could wait. They both needed that break. 

_“Sure!”_ He wrote beneath her words and heard her squeal, drawing attention of some students on them.

The teacher released them all five minutes earlier, without forgetting to tell them to read their two last lessons carefully. Jude caught the drift, but that was a concern for later. 

* * *

“So,” Jude started as he took a pink top way too see-through in hands, “what’s the reason behind this shopping session this time?” 

“That hurts me, you know?” Alice pretended to be, a hand flat on her chest and if Jude paid attention, he could bet he saw tears forming in her aquamarine eyes. What a great comedian. “And here I thought I would spend a nice time with my favourite best friend after a long day at university. Deception, disgrace!” 

“Evil as plain as the scar on his face!” He continued before they both burst into laughter. 

“You’re right, there is a reason.” Alice said once they caught their breath back. She paused a little longer to sustain the suspense knowing Jude wouldn’t bear her silence for long. “I have a date tonight!” 

“Oh please, don’t tell me it’s with that guy again… Morgan?” 

“Matthew, not Morgan. And no, it’s not with him. I’ve learned my lesson.” She said with a mischievous smile on her lips. 

“Do I know him?” 

“No you don’t know her,” Alice took a pair of flared trousers and the red top Jude was now looking, saying it was too revealing for him. She then walked to the fitting rooms, Jude on her heels. “We’ve been chatting for a little while and I agreed for a date tonight.” 

Jude leaned against the wall, readjusted his glasses on his nose then crossed his arms on his chest. “Are you even sure she’s a girl and not an old creep?” He wasn't comfortable with the idea of Alice going on a date with a perfect stranger after what happened with her last date, and he knew Terry – their other best friend – would agree with him. 

“I appreciate your concern, really, but don’t worry. I can assure you she’s not an old creep.” 

She tried a few outfits, asking for Jude’s opinion on each one of them, hoping tonight would go smoothly. She had no will at all to date a second Matthew. Alice had learned to spot that kind of people, or that was what she hoped. 

They left the shop after half an hour; Alice with a red coat, a pair of white jeans as well as a black v neck jumper dress. Jude though, only bought a scarf and a pair of gloves. Nothing else had caught his eyes in that shop, and he doubted anything would in the others. Shopping wasn’t truly his cup of tea, especially when the few shops in town hadn’t clothes that fitted him. It only lowered his self-esteem, but as long as he could spend time with his best friend, the rest could go to hell. 

As she had promised, Alice took them to their favourite tea house. It was cosy inside, a little too pink, but the staff was full of nice people, so Jude forgave their lack of taste. The tea warmed them up, and the two donuts they each ate as their reward for surviving another day on campus filled them enough for the remaining afternoon. 

One thing led to another, and they ended up talking about today’s lessons. Luckily for him, Alice offered him to copy her notes before next Thursday. She knew Jude was usually a hard-working student, and that they all had their off days. Today was one of those, coupled with his own family problems he had other things in mind than his studies. Alice had noticed the shadows under his eyes, his bitten nails to the quick, the wounds on his thumbs, how his body froze each time his landline phone rang, how he dreaded their last lesson every Fridays because it meant he had to go back home for the weekend. Two hands weren't enough to count the weekends he had spent with her and her dads. Alice cared too much about him, knew him too well and knew how he reacted under pressure, under their constant remarks. He was safer with them. 

“Do you think Terry could join us?” Jude asked watching his watch. It was ten to five, the tea house wasn’t too far from the campus so Terry could still join them before closing time. 

“Nah, not a chance.” She said playing with one of her braids. “He has practice later, remember?” 

“Right! The match is on Tuesday, I forgot.” 

“Don’t worry, I sent him a picture.” She winked. “I want him to see what he’s missing out.” 

“You know he’s going to sulk,” He ruffled his hair, took off his glasses and cleared his throat. “You went there again without me?! Come on guys, it’s our place, I thought we were only going there together!” He stopped himself before catching too many people’s attention, his face red. 

“That’s so him!” Alice let out once she calmed down, a hand on her stomach. “Well, too bad for him. He should have chosen arts, not mathematics.” 

Terry should have, but they all knew just how much he preferred numbers over paintings. 

As they parted ways before the Art building, Jude tightened his scarf a little more around his throat. The wind was blowing harder than when they left the tea house, and it wouldn’t surprise him if it would snow again during the night with how cold he felt right now. He wouldn’t mind. Jude found snow beautiful. He found it beautiful the way it brought a smile on children’s face and millions of stars in their eyes. He just hated the cold. 

Less people were roaming the streets at this hour of the day whether it was because of the weather or because they had other things to do. As he walked, he took out from his bag the novel he had started to read this morning. It was a habit of his to read while walking. Jude had less and less time reading his favourite novels with his studies, so he dedicated every free moment to this hobby. 

The book was heavy in his gloved hand, a simple blue, black and gold hardcover with blue sprayed edges. He had bent many of its corners; his favourite passages, his favourite quotes, passages that gave him more questions he hoped an umpteenth reading would answer. This book was not only his favourite because of the story – a story full of magical beings, characters trying to find their place in the world, and treason – but also because the trilogy was the first birthday present he got from Alice and Terry. He cherished that present as much as he cherished them. 

Jude didn't need to look up from his book, he knew the road like the back of his hand. Once he would walk past the baker’s shop and cross the park, he would be home. Warm blankets and a hot shower were waiting for him. His kitten too. His beautiful ball of fur he loved to cuddle. 

Except that Jude should have left his book in his bag today. 

He turned on his right at the corner of the street and landed on the pavement as he bumped into someone. Jude dropped the book as he fell. A curse crossed his lips seeing snow soak in his book and he quickly grabbed it. He would have to dry it better as soon as he’d get home. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you,” the stranger said, holding his hand out to him. “Are you hurt?” 

“I’m fine,” Jude replied, annoyance in his voice as he grabbed the man’s hand, then put his book back into his bag. Back on his feet, Jude looked at him. Taller than him, almond eyes alike to brown zircon, deep green hair hidden underneath a slouchy beanie, freckles kissing tanned skin, and piercings adorning his face; his left eyebrow, and two on his bottom lip. There was something appealing about him, something Jude couldn’t put the finger on it. Maybe it was his smile, or the way his eyes stared at him. A mix of confusion and worry. “We’re both fine.” He stuttered, his face turning red. Jude blamed it on the cold. 

“Great! Be careful now and watch out for black ice. Bye!” He put his headphones back on his ears and waved at Jude as he continued on his way. 

Jude watched him heading to the city centre until he turned at the end of the street. What an embarrassing encounter. Embarrassing, but nice. For once the person he bumped into didn’t scold him, nor told him how young people these days couldn’t tear their eyes off their phones. Even though he always was reading a book. 

He put his hands into his pockets, and with a last glance at the spot where that man still was seconds ago, he resumed walking, unable to wipe off his grin from his lips. His cheeks were still burning.


End file.
